The show peaked with 7.9 million viewers for its last 15 minutes, just as Push The Button was beginning on ITV1. Ant and Dec's family gameshow had 4.9 million viewers and a 20.8% share, between 8pm and 9pm.

Push the Button was also beaten by BBC1's National Lottery: Who Dares Wins, which averaged 6.2 million.

Harry Hill, who has just signed a new two-year deal with ITV, was ITV1's most popular performer of the night, with 5.1 million viewers (22.2%) for TV Burp between 7.30pm and 8pm, but it was still not enough to beat Let's Dance for Sport Relief.

Piers Morgan's Life Stories, in which the former Daily Mirror editor interviewed singer turned actor Kym Marsh, averaged 4 million (17.1%) between 9pm and 10pm. It was down on its opening episode of 5.6 million last week, when Morgan interviewed Simon Cowell.

The Morgan show was beaten by BBC1's Casualty, which had 5.7 million viewers (24.6%) between 9.05pm and 9.55pm.

BBC1's coverage of England's 15-15 draw with Scotland in the Six Nations rugby averaged 5.3 million (29.5%) between 4.35pm and 7pm. Live coverage of the match itself, which kicked off at 5pm, averaged 5.7 million viewers, peaking with 6.8 million for its climax between 6.30pm and 6.45pm.

The rugby beat another showing for Mr Bean's Holiday on ITV1, which averaged 2 million viewers (11.1%) between 4.50pm and 6.30pm.

Earlier, BBC1's coverage of Ireland's 27-12 win over Wales drew 3 million viewers (25.5%) between 2pm and 4.25pm. Live coverage of the game, which kicked off at 2.30pm, averaged 3.3 million, peaking with 3.9 million between 4pm and 4.15pm.

Channel 4 devoted its prime-time schedule to a pair of films, beginning with fantasy tale Stardust, starring Clare Danes, which averaged 1.4 million (5.9%) between 7pm and 9.25pm.

It was beaten by the end of Channel Five's wartime classic Battle of the Bulge, which averaged 1.1 million (5.6%) between 5.20pm and 8pm.

But Stardust, which had another 295,000 viewers on Channel 4 +1, just had the edge over BBC's Lambing Live highlights show, which had 1.3 million viewers (5.7%) between 7.30pm and 9pm.

BBC2's documentary Requiem for Detroit averaged 1.3 million viewers (5.5%) between 9pm and 10.15pm. It beat the start of Channel 4's second movie, comedy drama In hHer Shoes, which had 1.2 million (6.9%) between 9.25pm and 11.55pm, with another 218,000 viewers on Channel 4 +1.